Drafting instrument



March 22, 1966 DEMPSEY 3,241,242

DRAFTING INSTRUMENT Filed May 15, 1963 FIGZ INVENTOR. NORMAN E. DEM PSEY Wm MW ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,241,242 DRAFTING INSTRUMENT Norman E. Dempsey, Medford, Mass, assignor to Dernpco, Inc., Somerville, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed May 15, 1963, Ser. No. 280,585 3 Claims. (Cl. 33174) This invention relates generally to drafting instruments and more particularly comprises a new improved template for use in the preparation of perspective drawings.

In certain trades there is a constant need for perspective drawings which are more or less repetitive to a substantial degree. For example, kitchen remodelers as a selling device normally provide a prospective customer with a perspective view of the finished kitchen. Similarly, interior decorators must frequently make perspective drawings of proposed room arrangements for their customers approval. Many other trades have a constant need for a perspective drawing having more or less set characteristics.

Drawings of this type, however, are quite time consuming and expensive. A perspective view of a kitchen, for example, to be properly drawn normally requires several hours even for a skilled draftsman. Accordingly, kitchen planners and builders normally must employ a professiona1 draftsman or themselves acquire skill in preparing perspective views in order to provide their customers with a visual presentation of the proposed kitchen. In practice, a salesman or kitchen planner will visit a prospective customer to determine the nature of the job and to make whatever measurements and rough sketches that are necessary in order to provide an estimate and also to make drawings. Since the drawings require several hours to prepare, the salesman must return to the customer at a later date, and if the customer has lost interest, the time and effort applied in the preparation of the perspective drawings are wasted. It would, therefore, be an obvious sales advantage as Well as a much more efiicient procedure to be able to prepare a complete perspective view of a given scene such as a kitchen within a matter of minutes for immediate presentation to the prospective customer.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drafting instrument for use in preparing rapid but accurate perspective drawings.

Another object of this invention is to expedite the preparation of perspective drawings which are of a more or less routine nature.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a drafting instrument which may be employed with equal skill by a trained draftsman or by a novice.

More particularly, this invention features a drafting instrument in the form of a flat platen which is formed with a plurality of slots forming a perspective outline of a selected scene. The device is employed by overlaying it onto a drafting surface such as a sheet of paper or the like and tracing the outline onto the underlying paper by means of a pencil, for example. The template is provided with shoulders along one edge thereof for squaring the template with respect to the drafting surface.

But these and other features of the invention, along with other objects and advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which;

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a drafting instrument made according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a view in end elevation thereof, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective drawing made with the use of the drafting instrument shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

3,241,242 Patented Mar. 22, 1966 Referring now to the drawings, the reference character it generally indicates a drafting instrument for use in making perspective drawings of rooms such as kitchens which are customarily provided with shelves and cabinets along their walls, as suggested in FIG. 3. The instrument preferably is formed as a rectangular panel of a rigid material such as a sheet of transparent acrylic plastic, or other suitable material. Typically, the instrument may be 8 /2 inches in height by 11 inches in width, for example. These dimensions may obviously be varied depending upon particular applications.

The lower edge of the instrument 10 is provided with a rib or shoulder 12 extending along the entire width thereof and on both sides of the panel. The function of this rib is for squaring the instrument precisely with respect to an underlying sheet of drafting paper, for example. A shoulder is formed on both sides of the instrument in order that the instrument may be reversed for reasons that will presently appear.

The instrument is characterized by a plurality of slots 14 formed through the panel and defining a perspective outline of the horizontal components of a typical kitchen arrangement. The several slots include portions that are parallel with one another corresponding to an opposite wall. These portions appear on the right hand side of the instrument as viewed in FIG. 1. The portions of the slots 14 on the left hand side of the instrument diverge from one another in an array corresponding to a wall extending towards the observer to present a perspective view of an L-shaped kitchen. The apices of the several slots are not all vertically aligned, some being offset to produce horizontal depth in the finished drawings.

In practice, the instrument is used by overlaying it upon a sheet of drafting paper, squaring it up properly, and tracing along the slots 14 with a drafting pencil or pen as desired. By tracing through the slots, a perspective outline is made on the drafting paper quickly, easily and in true perspective. The template is then remove-d from the drafting paper and the vertical components filled in with the use of a T square, for example. A finished perspective view may be made in the matter of minutes when formerly an hour or more was required.

In the illustrated embodiment, the several slots 14 correspond to portions of a typical kitchen installation. The uppermost slot 14a corresponds to the valance and upper edge of the carbinets as appears in the drawing of FIG. 3. The horizontal component lines made with slot 14 are indicated by the reference character 16a in FIG. 3. Slot 14b corresponds to the lower edge of the cabinets and appears as line 16b in FIG. 3. It will be noted that the slot 14a is relatively wide to permit the tracing of a double line, one along either edge of the slot. The slot 14:) corresponds to the lower edge of the upper cabinets and the slot is relatively thin permitting only the single line required for this purpose. The slot corresponds to the backboard which is the double line arrangement 16c of FIG. 3. The slot 14d is somewhat wider than slot 14c and is used for tracing the upper edge of the base cabinets and the lower edge of the drawers. These lines are indicated by reference character 16d in FIG. 3. The slot Me is used for tracing the toe board and base of the cabinets. These lines are indicated by the reference character 16a in FIG. 3.

It will be appreciated that once the perspective outline of the horizontal components has been made, the vertical components, such as door divisions, corners, drawer divisions, wall ovens, windows and the like may be readily added by the use of a T square. In order to facilitate the adding of the vertical components in their proper perspective, one or more of the slots 14 may be provided with scale markings 18 along the edge thereof. As shown,

the markings along the parallel right hand portions of the slots are evenly spaced, whereas the markings on the left hand portions are graduated in accordance with the perspective. It will be understood that light pencil markings can be made on the drafting paper through the slots opposite selected markings 18 so that the vertical components may be added in proper spacings.

While the instrument shown in FIG. 1 is particularly useful in drawing a perspective of an L-shaped kitchen, it may also be used for drawing U-shaped kitchens such as that illustrated in FIG. 3. This is done by merely making tracings from one of the instrument 10 and then turning the instrument over, moving it to the right or left as required, aligning the parallel horizontal components and making a second tracing so as to form all three walls.

While the instrument is extremely useful in making perspective views of kitchens, it may also be employed with modifications in drawing other types of rooms having more or less standard arrangements. For example, the instrument can be employed to advantage by interior decorators, architects and the like, or others who have a need for this type of instrument. Obviously, the instrument may be modified in various ways to make perspective outlines of other scenes as desired.

Accordingly, the above description and accompanying drawings should be taken as illustrative of the invention and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent of the United States is:

'1. A drafting instrument comprising a fiat platen, formed with a series of slots defining a perspective outline of a three dimensional scene whereby said outline may be transferred to an underlying drafting surface by tracings along said slots, said slots being of various widths, said slots being parallel along certain portions and diverging from one another in perspective aspect along other portions.

2. A drafting instrument comprising a fiat platen formed with a series of slots defining a perspective outline of a three dimensional scene whereby said outline may be transferred to a drafting surface by tracings along said slots, portions of said slots being parallel with one another and portions diverging angularly from one an- 4 other, selected apices of said slots being offset from alignment with other apices.

3. A drafting instrument comprising a fiat platen formed with an upper slot and a series of lower slots, said upper slot and said series of lower slots defining a part of a perspective outline of a three dimensional scene whereby said outline may be transferred to an underlying drafting surface by tracings along said slots, said upper slot having two distinct portions and at least one of said lower slots having two distinct portions, one of said two distinct portions of said upper slot and one of said two distinct portions of said one of said lower slots diverging from points at the central region of said platen, the other of said two distinct portions of said upper slot and the other of said two distinct portions of said one of said lower slots extending in substantial parallelism from said points at the medial portion of said platen, first graduations in association with said one of said two distinct portions of said upper slot and said one of said two distinct portions of said one of said lower slots, second graduations in association with said other of said two distinct portions of said upper slot and said other of said two distinct portions of said one of said lower slots, said first graduations becoming spaced apart to greater and greater degrees as the distances increase from said points at the medial region of said platen, said second graduations being substantially equidistant from each other in sequence, and a shoulder extending along one of the edges of said platen in substantial parallelism with the other of said two distinct portions of said upper slot and the other of said two distinct portions of said one of said lower slots, said platen being transparent.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,458,072 1/1949 Hall 33-174 2,540,032 1/1951 Johnson et al. 33-174 2,941,302 6/1960 Lannon 33174 OTHER REFERENCES Publication: Industrial Production Illustration, 1946, page 162.

ISAAC LISANN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DRAFTING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A FLAT PLATEN, FORMED WITH A SERIES OF SLOTS DEFINING A PERSPECTIVE OUTLINE OF A THREE DIMENSIONAL SCENE WHEREBY SAID OUTLINE MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO AN UNDERLYING DRAFTING SURFACE BY TRACINGS ALONG SAID SLOTS, SAID SLOTS BEING OF VARIOUS WIDTHS, SAID SLOTS BEING PARALLEL ALONG CERTAIN PORTIONS AND DIVERGING FROM ONE ANOTHER IN PERSPECTIVE ASPECT ALONG OTHER PORTIONS. 